Caring Laura raises over £2,000 with knitted snowmen

Laura Powell was ten when doctor’s discovered she had medulloblastoma, a cancerous brain tumour most common in children, in November 2014.

Now 12, kind-hearted Laura, who had her last course of chemotherapy in 2015 and has now been given the all clear, wanted to do something to help other cancer patients.

She started her fundraising mission back in January, asking her grandmother Carol Connelly to help her knit hundreds of snowmen - which have been sold to raise charity funds.

Carol enlisted the help of other knitters from Doncaster and beyond, including friend Norma Warrillow who lives in Spain and the women at the ‘Knit n Natter’ group at Conisbrough Community Centre.

Collectively, they knitted 306 snowmen over eleven months - and they were sold for over £2,000 - doubling Laura’s initial target.

Proud Carol said: “We have raised £2,406 at the moment with more money to come in yet. We initially hoped to raise £1,000 over the year. It just shows how generous people are with both their time and money.

“All the funds will be split between Firefly, who transport cancer patients to and from hospital for treatment, and Sheffield Children’s Hospital fund raising for the new children’s clinic.”

Some of the snowmen were sold to family and friends, but some were given as prizes in a raffle, which took place at Stringers Garden Centre, Conisbrough.

Carol added: “Laura wanted to do the raffle and wasn’t impressed when I said I didn’t think we should because I didn’t think that we would sell many tickets for a few knitted snowmen.

“Well, the tickets raised over £900 so Laura was right to insist that we did one. Next year we are knitting penguins. We already have pre-orders , so more knitters are welcome.”

E-mail [email protected] to help.